Shaping social interactions - LOL
#1
I was just looking over the HONOR system in League of Legends. I've never played it. But, the concepts intrigue me.

It was covered at the BBC here; http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20204354

"To curb the worst excesses, LoL maker Riot Games asked social scientists and statisticians to design an in-game system that rewards fair play."

It seems like peer review, where the weight of strangers is higher than that of friends. I believe the design of rewards, are probably the most important aspect of multi-player game design. I tend to opt out of public chat channels, and favor those dedicated to reasonable and relevant discussion.

I'm wary of random public ad-hoc groups - in that it tends to result in people exhibiting the minimal amount of effort and coordination, and expecting the maximal reward. We have all experienced some of the worst group behavior when you couple internet anonymity with a lack of social cohesion and consequences.

Anyway, Kudos to Riot Games for this. And, maybe they'll also think about ways to encourage more positive social interactions in their games as well. Maybe other game designers will begin to think about more complex psychological aspects of interaction design in multi-player games. In my experiences in many MMORPG's it's been more like Lord of the Flies.
”There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy." - Hamlet (1.5.167-8), Hamlet to Horatio.

[Image: yVR5oE.png][Image: VKQ0KLG.png]

Reply
#2
My son plays LOL quite a bit, but he's not in the competition for money class.

One of the draws is, he says, the community is less snarky than the WoW folks he played with.

I don't play it, so I can't say.
Cry 'Havoc' and let slip the Men 'O War!
In War, the outcome is never final. --Carl von Clausewitz--
Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum
John 11:35 - consider why.
In Memory of Pete
Reply
#3
I played LoL for a while, and since I don't know anyone else who plays it, I had to stick to random public games. While I really liked the game itself (enough that I actually invested money on it), the majority of the people I came across turned me completely off it, so I stopped playing altogether.

I tried Heroes of Newerth as well, but it was even worse. I'm sure both games are fine if you have a group of friends to play with, or are a serious gamer, but I'm more of the casual gamer type, and I like to get pleasure out of my gaming time. A bunch of people hurling inslts at each other is not enjoyable.
"What contemptible scoundrel stole the cork from my lunch?"

-W.C. Fields
Reply


Forum Jump:


Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)